Sovereignty of Serenia
The Sovereignty of Serenia (aka Serenia) is a kingdom (a nation or political state) located northwest of the Kingdom of Daventry, on the continent of Serenia. It is a region within the greater Land of Serenia (though that may also refer to the smaller kingdom region as well). Background The kingdom of Serenia was the first home of all the world's people after the withdrawal. The exact spot of their arrival had never been marked by stone or statue or eidolon, but that is not there way; but many hold that the place is where the house of the great wizard Crispinophur now sits. It is said that house has been there, never aging, since the beginning of time. It is also claimed that it was built in less than an instant by the same magician, who himself was already an old man when time began.KQC2E, 49 It is somewhat peaceful in Serenia now. This has not always been so. Not so many years ago, the Sovereignty's present Queen was abducted by a wizard named Harlin and imprisoned in Harlin's castle. The same wizard used his magic to change the geography of the land, dividing it, and creating barriers. He surrounded the village of Serenia with the Endless Desert, he moved the Great Mountains north, put the North Sea in between. These were to stop any intruders from reaching him. Serenia's King at the time, George IV, was able to convince a wandering barbarian, the Wanderer to attempt rescuing her. The man accomplished his quest, but walked away from the offered marriage and kingdom. Priscilla and her husband, Kenneth the Huge, rule now. They have legislated peace and love and harmony between all. The penalties for breaching those laws is severe. The Sovereignty of Serenia lies to the north and west of the Kingdom of Daventry, beyond the River Fools and the Great Mountains. It gives its name to the continent of Serenia, and is one of the continent's great lands. Despite being somewhat near to each other, commerce and communication between the two lands is limited because of the physical barriers, between the two lands. Nonetheless, the inhabitants of both places are similar, consisting generally of humans and the Little Folk.KQC2E, 51 Most humans live in the one small town of the realm, a lovely place with the usual shops and places of business. The town goes by the name Serenia. The bakery is renowned for the goodness of its pies, as is the inn for its unsavory clientele.KQC23, 51 It is located alongside a river, just south of Crispin's House. It is a couple of hours from the Great Mountains. The town was once surrounded by the Endless Desert when Harlin created or rather expanded the deserts to act as one of the obstacles to his enemies. This desert lay to the south of a forest and was divided by a chasm of Harlin's creation. The woods lie south east of the Northern Sea. Harlin shifted the Great Mountains to the North and created a wide ocean in between. Serenia is now surrounded by the forest lands, having apparently returned to its original state, or been healed by magic. Serenia, however, is generally a less violent land than most, an island of peace in a less tranquil world. This reflects both its name and its ruler' policies of harmony amongst all beings. While some of the more cynical persuasion quip that the first law of the land is "You will be happy--or you will regret it", the truth of the matter is that the people of Serenia believe peace to be the natural order of things and, in believing it to be true, ensure that it is. It is an innocent, though effective, magic which should be practiced more.KQC, 2nd Edition, 51 On Serenia's western edge is a great and trackless desert, Endless Desert. Serenia is bordered on the north by a dark and daunting forest, Dark Forest. Finally to the east hover the Great Mountains, an almost impassible barrier, and part of Serenia's border with Daventry. King Graham traveled through the land with Cedric to rescue his family. At around the same time Crispin attended to an emergency in a neighboring land. Geography The land of Serenia is even smaller and more compact than the land of Daventry. It is a small kingdom made up of the town and forest of Serenia.TOBOKQ2E, pg 117 To the west of the kingdom is a vast desert, and to the north is a dark forest. On the east is the trail into the mountains, and the south is blocked by a river. Serenia is a quaint land that seems to have fallen on hard times: It's filled with people who need help. There are no malls in Serenia, only a few shops in town. There are three stores open to the public--a shoe shop, a coat shop, and a Toys-Were-Them store. By the time Graham came along it had been so long since the merchants had seen money, he had better luck trading. Notes *To better put things into perspective the 'Sovereignty of Serenia' is a region that lies within the greater 'Land of Serenia'. The Sovereignty lies more or less between the Endless Desert of Serenia to the west and the Great Mountains to the east, and to the south of the Dark Forest. The river may border the southern edge of the kingdom. The Sovereignty encompasses the Woods of Serenia and the Town of Serenia, and a few businesses lying outside of the town proper. *The "village" and "town" of Serenia are apparently one and the same place. It it is hinted in Wizard and the Princess, that the village was the capital of Serenia, and the Town of Serenia has been said to be the capital of Serenia in the KQ7 hintguide, and the King's Quest Companion, 2nd Edition. Further more it implied that Priscilla returned to the 'town of Serenia' at the end of Wizard and the Princess in the KQC. Then again they may be two separate places, and that the villages moved out of the desert past the scrublands into the Woods of Serenia (letting the previous place fall into ruin). According to Harlin, he had actually created the deserts that had surrounded the city with his great magic, as an obstacle to those who would come after him. *There is one more known village east of the Great Mountains shown on some continent maps that apparently represents a town under jurisdiction of the kingdom. This is probably not the village under the Roy's nest. *A rock wall borders a large chunk of the desert. But at least one point its bordered by a deep chasm (that was created by Harlin's magic). A magic bridge crosses the chasm into the woods. The bridge only appears with the magic spell, "Hocus". Just past the bridge is a small one room cottage, it is almost empty except for a couple of tables. On the western edge of the woods leads to a beach and the ocean. Deeper into the woods to the east is a tree with a hole in it, the exit to a gnome's grotto. To the north of the tree is a bank with a small crevice in it, which shines light into an underground tunnel, the gnome's home. It leads to a little door, that leads to a staircase. The staircase leads up to the hole in the tree. To the west of the gnome hole is a very large tree, and to the south of it is a babbling brook. *The North is a continent that once existed in the Unknown was a region of Serenia that Harlin had divided form the main continent with his magic. He created this new continent with portions of the Great Mountains, and created the sea that divided the two landmasses. These were more obstacles to stop his enemies. It is unclear how the continent returned to its original geography after his defeat, but the waters of the Northern Sea still holds great magic. However this may be paper of the the Land of Serenia rather than the Sovereinty. Behind the scenes This land first appeared in The Wizard and the Princess and Adventure in Serenia, and was later revisited in King's Quest V. The Companion refers to this region as "Serenia" in the walkthrough and game map section. The KQ5 Hintbook calls this area the, Town and Forest of Serenia. The Official Book of King's Quest refers to this region as "Serenia". The manual of KQ5NES makes a reference to 'World of Serenia'. However in most of the official sources the entire world is referred to as Earth, the World of Daventry, or simply Daventry. Serenia (unofficial) Serenia (unofficial) References category:Lands category:Places (TKQC) Category:Places (KQ5) Category:Withdrawal Category:Places (WatP/AiS) category:Kingdoms Category:Game comparisons Category:Serenia